Fantasy Football Preview: Wide Receivers to Avoid
Dec 1, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Miami Dolphins wide receiver Mike Wallace (11) can not make catch near the end zone against New York Jets free safety Jaiquawn Jarrett (37) at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
Earlier this week, I summarized my reasons for not drafting some of the top running backs on the board. Wide receiver can be an easier position to draft, however, there are many options to choose from. With so many options, it could be tricky to decide which player will produce the most. Although wide receivers don’t break down as quickly as running backs do, there are many other factors that could prevent them from reaching their potential.
Live Feed
Predominantly Orange
This offseason, over 30 wide receivers turned in their uniforms and joined new franchises. Often times players leave their organizations in order to gain a larger salary or to compete for a championship. These offseason moves could either hurt or help a wide receivers draft stock. For example, in 2013, coming off a career year, Mike Wallace accepted a 60 million dollar offer with the Miami Dolphins. Wallace, a deep-threat receiver, struggled to get acclimated with quarterback Ryan Tannehill‘s dink-and-dunk offensive style. After two average seasons, the Dolphins admitted they made a mistake and shipped Wallace to the Vikings.
Fantasy owners should always pay attention to football news throughout the offseason. It is very important that owners understand that many things can change from one year to the next. Especially in the NFL, change can happen fast. Within a few hours of the 2015 NFL free agency opening, Jimmy Graham was traded to Seattle and Darrelle Revis reunited with the Jets. The NFL draft brought some changes as well. Nine wide receivers were drafted in the first two rounds, shaking up the depth charts for those teams. With all of the moves made in free agency and through the draft, it is easy to forget about all of the turnover in the coaching department. Each coach has their own scheme, and that could affect a player’s draft stock.
Another problem that stems with wide receivers is that much of their ability to perform is reliant on the quarterback. There is a major difference between playing with Aaron Rodgers and playing with EJ Manuel. A running back doesn’t rely on the quarterback’s ability to perform. Therefore, fantasy owners have to be smart about drafting wide receivers with good quarterbacks. That being said, here are three wide receivers that I would avoid drafting this season.
Next: No Cutler? Big Problem
August 11, 2015; Florham Park, NJ, USA; New York Jets wide receiver Brandon Marshall (15) during practice at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. Mandatory Credit: John Munson/THE STAR-LEDGER via USA TODAY Sports
Brandon Marshall has been a mainstay in fantasy’s top 10 wide receivers, totaling 1,000 yards or more in seven of his past nine seasons. Over the past three seasons, Marshall has shown excellent chemistry with Bears quarterback Jay Cutler. In fact, 40 of Marshall’s 65 career touchdowns have been thrown by Cutler. Although Jay Cutler is not the most accurate quarterback, his big arm has helped Marshall’s fantasy stock a lot.
This season, however, Marshall will not be catching passes from Cutler. Instead, he will receive targets from the Jets’ circus of quarterbacks. Projected starting quarterback Geno Smith is now expected to be out at least 6-10 weeks after getting sucker punched by former Jets linebacker Ik Enemkpali.
Smith’s absence has forced journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick into the starting lineup. Ryan Fitzpatrick has had moderate success in his career. However, it is yet to be seen if he can flourish in a big market like New York. Additionally, Fitzpatrick has not played a full 16 game season since 2012.
If Fitzpatrick gets hurt, fourth round rookie Bryce Petty will be forced into the starting gig. Many expect Petty to compete for the Jets job in the future, but for now he is just a project.
None of this helps Marshall. At the end of this season, I would not be surprised if he has career lows in catches, yards and touchdowns.
Next: Rex Ryan Could Kill His Value
Dec 28, 2014; Foxborough, MA, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Sammy Watkins (14) runs the ball against the New England Patriots during the first half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports
Since Jim Kelly, the Bills have not been able to find the missing puzzle piece to their pass offense. In the 2013 NFL draft, the Bills traded back to take E.J. Manuel. Surprising many, the Bills believed that they had found their quarterback of the future, while passing up on Mike Glennon and Geno Smith.
After an injury plagued rookie season, Bills ownership believed that they needed new weapons to surround Manuel. In the 2014 NFL draft, the Bills moved up 5 spots in order to draft Clemson superstar wideout Sammy Watkins, ceding a future 1st round pick in the process. Watkins was the most NFL ready prospect in the draft. This splash made by the Bills showed their commitment to the pass game.
Last season didn’t go to plan. Manuel lost his starting job by week 4 and the Bills pass offense finished 18th in the league. The Bills decided to move in a new direction this offseason.
This offseason, the Bills brought in Rex Ryan and LeSean McCoy. In 6 years as the Jets head coach, Ryan never had a pass offense ranked in the top 20. In fact, the Jets pass offense got worse every year with Ryan at the helm.
LeSean McCoy won’t help that either. The leading rusher in 2013, McCoy has carried the ball 626 times over the past two seasons, averaging 4.67 yards per carry.
It also doesn’t seem that Rex Ryan is willing to get rid of his ground and pound system this season as well. He said,”We’ll have probably the biggest playbook in the history of man in our running game.” None of this bodes well for Watkins and the Bills passing attack, as the team will abandon the pass. Watkins has all the potential in the world to be a superstar, however, the Bills moves make it less likely for him to breakout in his sophomore season.
Next: Can Alex Smith Throw Deep?
Dec 7, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Jeremy Maclin (18) on the sidelines during the second half against the Seattle Seahawks at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey G. Pittenger-USA TODAY Sports
Coming back from an ACL tear, Maclin had a lot to prove in his contract year. I took a chance on Maclin last season in all three of my major fantasy leagues. Let’s just say that I was not dissapointed. In fact, Maclin finished as the 6th best fantasy wide receiver in standard ESPN leagues.
The Kansas City Chiefs offered Maclin a 5 year, 55 million dollar contract that he could not pass up. The Chiefs had a major problem with their pass offense last year, finishing 29th in pass yards. In addition to the lack of pass yards, Kansas City wide receivers had a whopping zero touchdown receptions last season. This can’t be a promising sign to those who are targeting Maclin or any other Chiefs receiver.
Kansas City quarterback Alex Smith has had a couple of good seasons for the Chiefs after being replaced by Colin Kaepernick in San Francisco. Despite his success as a team leader, Smith finished 35th in passes completed over 40 yards last season with only 3. On the other side of things, Maclin finished third on that list with 7 catches of over 40 yards last season. Since Alex Smith excels in the short passing game, I don’t think Maclin will be a good fit in Kansas City as Maclin’s game is more suited as a deep-threat.
Maclin will lose some of his value as he switches from Chip Kelly’s high speed offense to former Eagles coach Andy Reid‘s west coast offense. He is definitely a wide receiver to avoid this season.
Next: Fantasy Football: 12-Team PPR Mock Draft
More from FanSided
- Caesars + BetMGM Promos: Four Chances to Win Betting on the Women’s World Cup
- MLB trade grades: Angels-White Sox deal takes Shohei Ohtani off the table
- Justin Jefferson taking on new role with Vikings offense
- Astros, Rangers benches clear after Adolis Garcia grand slam
- Jonathan Taylor’s agent shades Jim Irsay after Colts owner comments on RBs